The hollow pottery tube used in the distiller is as hollow as a long spout. It is not difficult for Li Mengxi to master the technology.

However, Li Mengxi requested that the distillation tube be connected to the condenser.

Under the technical conditions of the late Han Dynasty, the most difficult thing to do in the entire set of primitive distillation equipment was the condensation structure.

Earlier, in the army, Li Mengxi used metals such as arrowheads, armor pieces, copper coins, etc. as the original components in the condensation. The effect was good at that time. Indeed, the high-temperature alcohol vapor condensed immediately after encountering these cold objects.

It has become a wine body.

However, when the distillation was completed and the spirit was poured out, the arrows and other objects used for condensation became hot because they absorbed heat.

Only a few small jars of wine were distilled that day, and the condensing metal heated up. If improvements were not made, the condenser would not be able to continue to be used.

At that time, that night, Li Mengxi had already thought about how to improve the still.

Li Mengxi was drawing on the ground, and drew a strange-shaped vessel like a round cylinder. The vessel was very strange, with a spout connected to one end, and many long sticks on the body of the cylinder, like hedgehogs.

Long sticks are inserted into the cylinder. These long sticks can pass inside and outside, which is the key to dissipating heat.

Li Mengxi explained to the two craftsmen, "Use copper, smash both ends into thin pieces, and then insert them on the pottery so that the copper pieces in the pottery and the copper pieces outside the pottery are connected at both ends.

I only have one doubt." Li Mengxi looked up at the old craftsman and asked, "Can the combination of clay and copper be made tight enough to prevent water and air leaks?"

The old craftsman frowned slightly, scratched the sparse hair on his head, and thought for a moment, "It can be done. But, little brother, if the copper piece is embedded in the clay, the embryo has to be made bit by bit.

It’s slow to get up.”

"It doesn't matter." Li Mengxi waved his hand, "Slow work will bring out fine work, just do it slowly."

Li Mengxi said that slow work produces careful work, and the old man felt comfortable listening to it.

This is the truth. When you work for someone, your boss is very cruel, asking you to do it quickly and then do it well. How can you do it quickly if you want to do it well?

Isn't that right? Slow work brings about careful work. This sentence touched the heart of the old craftsman. The old man smiled happily and said, "My little brother, I can rest assured that my craftsmanship will be kept without leakage."

As he said that, the old man asked again, "Brother, what will this copper piece look like after being smashed? A bat? A beast? Or a bird?"

Li Mengxi was confused by what kind of bird it was.

In fact, the old man looked at what Li Mengxi wanted to make, and it seemed to be more sophisticated. Although it was strange, the old man had made some weird things for wealthy families, so he thought that what Li Mengxi wanted to make was similar.

Use copper sheets to make birds and animals, like ears, like copper tripods, and hang them on both sides of the clay pot.

The old man thinks so based on his rich work experience.

Li Mengxi scratched his head for a long time, "...No need, just smash the copper sheet thin and flat. There is no need to make it into the shape of birds and animals."

"That's right." Li Mengxi suddenly thought of the principle that hot steam will rise, so he explained emphatically, "When the copper pieces are embedded in the pottery pot, there should be more at the top and less at the bottom.

Moreover, the copper sheets should not be placed vertically or flatly, it is better to place them diagonally."

If placed vertically, the steam will rise upwards and the contact surface will not be large.

Place it horizontally, the alcohol will condense on the copper sheet and will not drip down easily.

Therefore, it is best to tilt it at an angle because it has a large contact area and is conducive to alcohol dripping.

Although the old man listened in a confused way, he thought that it would be much simpler when he heard that the copper parts did not need to be made into the shapes of birds and animals, but could only be smashed into copper sheets.

"After making the inner and outer copper sheets and the clay pot, the next thing is to make a hole in the bottom of the clay pot to lead to a short mouth.

Remember, the bottom of the pottery pot should be as smooth as a mirror, with no concavity at all, so that if there is only a little water at the bottom of the pot, it will immediately flow out along the bottom opening. Is this possible?"

Li Mengxi asked.

Although the owner wanted to make something weird, the two craftsmen could see clearly that it was just a large pottery urn with a long spout, and the spout was connected to a small pot. This pot was weird and had no top.

The mouth needs to be embedded with thin copper sheets inside and outside. Moreover, people say that a little water cannot be stored in the bottom of the jar. A little water can flow out along the bottom mouth. This is simple. Make the inner bottom of the jar high on one side.

Just keep one side low so that no dripping water can be stored.

Li Mengxi asked if these things could be made.

The two craftsmen were busy chatting.

"Okay then, General Three, don't you have to pay your wages?"

The two craftsmen were slightly stunned.

"It's just Zhang Yide, why don't I pay you two wages?" Li Mengxi changed his explanation and asked again.

"Pay it, pay it!" the two craftsmen returned hurriedly.

That's good.

Finally, Li Mengxi took two heavy copper ingots from the tray carried by the servants behind him and gave them to the two craftsmen. "Then he used the copper to beat it into thin slices and embedded them on the pottery pot.

As for the soil for making pottery, I don’t know where to find it, so I’ll leave it to you two to decide for yourself.”

Li Mengxi bowed his hands to the two craftsmen, and the two craftsmen returned the favor humbly.

The work of a craftsman cannot be done in a short while, and Li Mengxi did not want to wait around, so he explained and left.

Besides, there were two craftsmen, one of whom was a potter and the other was a blacksmith. The blacksmith took a copper ingot and looked at it and felt that the color of the copper was different.

"Ah, isn't this copper?"

The young blacksmith was surprised.

Copper is indeed different from brass and much more expensive.

It was because Zhang Fei spent a lot of money on drinking wine, and Li Mengxi wanted copper instead of iron because iron rusts easily, so he wanted some copper. In order to drink good wine, Zhang Fei took the best copper at home.

By a strange combination of circumstances, copper plays a special role in the brewing process. This is a story for another day.

It is said that Zhang Fei owned a lot of land and a manor outside the city.

The manor was so big that it seemed like it could accommodate hundreds of Yellow Turban captives.

Li Mengxi was very curious and decided to go and have a look.

Anyway, Liu, Guan, and Zhang are also in the manor at this moment.

With servants from Zhang Fei's family leading the way, Li Mengxi arrived at the manor because his legs were tired from walking.

Along the way, Li Mengxi saw many slightly familiar faces in ragged clothes. These familiar people were the Yellow Turban refugees who were now working as laborers in Zhang Fei's manor.

These people are working, which is good. Working for food is fine, too.

However, Li Mengxi saw a woman carrying a crying baby on her back. The woman was busy working and did not dare to stop to comfort the baby for fear of being scolded by the supervisor.

Li Mengxi stopped.

This peasant woman was carrying her child in a cloth sling, and the fabric was gorgeous.

This was the peasant woman who almost died when her baby had a high fever and fainted in the prison camp that day.

But today, it seems that this little baby is crying, not to mention very energetic.

Li Mengxi smiled.

As mentioned earlier, most of the first batch of prisoners captured by the rebels were old, weak, sick and disabled people who could not run away. Even if they were old, weak, sick and disabled, they could not do heavy work.

Just like that peasant woman, just like the little baby that Li Mengxi saw running around with adults, smaller than a brick.

Beside him, Xiao Zhuan was a little scared because he was in a new place and there were many people. He held Li Mengxi's hand and held it tightly for fear that he would not be able to find his brother.

"Let's go find Liu Xuande."

Li Mengxi pulled his younger brother.

There is a pavilion at a high place, just above the pavilion, from which you can see the whole view of the manor.

When Li Mengxi came, Liu, Guan, and Zhang saw him coming and called him over from a distance.

As soon as Li Mengxi arrived at the pavilion and sat down at the stone table in the pavilion, Zhang Fei couldn't help but ask, "Xiao Meng, don't you steam the wine? Is the wine ready?"

"How can it be so fast?" Li Mengxi was speechless, "I asked the craftsmen to make the wine vessels first. Don't you know that if a worker wants to do his job well, he must first sharpen his tools?"
Chapter completed!